The Documentary Podcast Podcast
Hear the voices at the heart of global stories. Where curious minds can make sense of the world. Home of the best documentaries from the BBC World Service.
Hear the voices at the heart of global stories. Where curious minds can uncover hidden truths and make sense of the world. Home of the best documentaries from the BBC World Service.
From the impact of drought on crops, tourism and trade, to Africa's first film city, to the Romanian teenagers who built a DIY internet...we go beyond the headlines.
Each week we look at the stories shaping our world and hear voices connecting people from across the globe, asking how news stories are shaping their lives. We also follow spiritual journeys, examine the world through the lens of its media and focus on solutions to global problems.
Episodes to download
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Kirk Franklin: Gospel music and my own faith journey
Today
Gospel music legend Kirk Franklin talks to presenter Swarzy Shire about his faith journey
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Bonus: Lives Less Ordinary- Love Stories
Yesterday
Extraordinary love stories from Lives Less Ordinary
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Brazil’s gambling addiction
Tuesday
Millions of Brazilians have become problem gamblers after an explosion in online betting
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Lucy Sparrow: Nostalgic supermarket made of felt
Monday
Lucy Sparrow stitches life into everyday objects to create '80s nostalgia made of felt
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Secret phone calls from a Saudi jail
Last Saturday
How the BBC's Tigrinya language service became a voice for Ethiopian men on death row
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What in the World: Will AI make your degree pointless?
Last Friday
We speak to three students who tell us how they think AI could change their careers.
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The Vatican's AI battle
Last Friday
Silicon Valley says it's ‘creating God’ with AI. The Catholic Church is watching closely
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LA: Rising from the ashes
Last Thursday
Jonathan Glancey meets architects leading LA’s recovery from 2025’s catastrophic fires.
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The Kansas City cycling revolution
Wed 19 Aug 2026
Kansas City was named America's worst city for cyclists in 2008. Has it improved?
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Raiders of the lost art
Tue 18 Aug 2026
How Manhattan's Antiquities Trafficking Unit works to track and return stolen art
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The sound of soft power
Sun 16 Aug 2026
Does the world still need international radio as a tool of soft power?
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Ukraine and Russia’s recruitment war
Sat 15 Aug 2026
Ukraine and Russia face different challenges recruiting fighters
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Experiences of drought
Sat 15 Aug 2026
Failing crops and angry alligators – how a lack of rain is affecting people worldwide
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The creator of France's 'Untouchables' houses
Fri 14 Aug 2026
The man behind inclusive homes where accident survivors live with non-disabled people
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The world's largest wildlife crossing
Wed 12 Aug 2026
Can a major engineering project help save Califonia's mountain lion population?
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Victoria Falls: An environment on the edge
Tue 11 Aug 2026
How over development around The Victoria falls could threaten its delicate ecosystem
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Special forces on trial
Sun 9 Aug 2026
Was a detective murdered to cover up the alleged crimes of South Africa’s special forces?
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Africa's first film city
Sun 9 Aug 2026
On the edge of Lagos, a vast scrubland is being developed into an ambitious film city
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Rapping behind bars in Cameroon
Sat 8 Aug 2026
How a record label was created in one of Cameroon's most notorious prisons
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Ariana Grande and the public scrutiny of women
Sat 8 Aug 2026
Fans and content creators share their experiences
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A singer’s search for peace
Fri 7 Aug 2026
A Lithuanian singer’s journey from New Age spirituality and ayahuasca to faith
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The teenagers who wired Romania
Thu 6 Aug 2026
How Romanian teenagers built a daring DIY internet network that inspired telecoms giants
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The Engineers: Flying at the Edge
Wed 5 Aug 2026
Aircraft engineers Kelly Latimer, Rob Miller, Daniel Moczydlower on their pioneering work
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Getting Gaza back online
Tue 4 Aug 2026
Amid the tents and the rubble Gaza is developing once again as an unlikely tech hub
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Skatepark designers Nine Yards
Mon 3 Aug 2026
The designers of Paris's Olympic skatepark start work on a new project in Amsterdam
